Paratroopers of Ukraine's 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade have destroyed a high-value russian Forpost reconnaissance drone during a recent engagement, then, in the fighters' words, "went looking for a new target". The strike was announced on the Brigade's official page and hailed by the unit as another successful strike against enemy intelligence assets.
The Brigade's rapid-response teams detected and engaged the Forpost system as it attempted to escape. According to the paratroopers, the drone briefly accelerated to speeds in excess of 160 km/h but was unable to evade the intercept.
Read more: Ukrainian Drones Destroy Rare russian IMR-3M Vehicle in Combat (Video)
"We saw it and reacted quickly. It still had a faint chance to get away, but we finished it off," reads the report.
The Forpost UAV is a high-end tactical reconnaissance platform for russian forces. Operational-technical assessments place its service ceiling at up to 7,000 metres and its effective range at roughly 250 km, capabilities that allow it to conduct long-range surveillance and target acquisition for strike units. Losing a single airframe therefore represents a disproportionate hit to battlefield reconnaissance.
Estimates put the replacement cost of a single Forpost drone at around 7 million dollars. Beyond the price tag, the loss is significant because the drone carries mission-critical sensors, communications gear, and datalinks that are not quick to replace, especially under the pressure of sanctions and wartime logistics.
As Defense Express previously reported, on September 21, 2025, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Prymary special unit conducted a high-profile strike in temporarily occupied Crimea, successfully destroying two russian Be-12 Chaika anti-submarine amphibious aircraft.
This marks the first-ever confirmed combat loss of the Be-12 aircraft, a type that has been in service since the Soviet era but remains valuable to Moscow's fleet due to its specialized anti-submarine role.
Read more: Ukraine Neutralizes russian Be-12 Chaika Aircraft in First-Ever Combat Losses (Video)
